Utah Investigating Harry Reid in Bribery Scandal

The retiring Democratic U.S. Senator from Nevada, Harry Reid, is being investigated by the state of Utah for bribery. He is being implicated in the investigation and prosecution of two former Attorneys General of Utah in a pay to play scheme. The two former AGs are Mark Shurtleff and John Swallow. The case is being investigated by Davis County District Attorney Troy Rawlings. Rawlings made the announcement after he was asked about the investigation by a local paper.

The case was originally investigated by the DOJ, but since Reid is not a Republican, they refused to prosecute. Apparently, they determined Reid was as innocent as Hillary Clinton and Lois Lerner. They are also refusing to give information to Rawlings from their investigation. Shurtleff has also joined in the motion.

He is constitutionally entitled to the information in discovery as he is facing prosecution as a result of the DOJ’s alleged investigation. The DOJ rejects that argument, using the excuse that they have the right to withhold information they deem to be irrelevant.

Given the adversarial relationship of criminal proceedings, with prosecutor and defender squaring off, it is notable that Shurtleff’s defense team has joined ranks with those prosecuting Shurtleff, to call for evidence the feds are allegedly holding back. Rawlings maintains Shurtleff has a constitutional right to the information the feds have gathered.

Meanwhile, Shurtleff is also attempting to take the feds to task. He recently made a statement—through his attorneys—criticizing the Department of Justice and alluding to the fact that he had served as a confidential informant to the FBI and federal prosecutors, feeding both camps information about Johnson’s attempt to bribe a U.S. Senator.

The information being withheld from Rawlings and Shurtleff could be exculpatory and therefore under the US Constitution, must be provided to Shurtleff even if it is not for Rawlings. It’s safe to say the DOJ is withholding the information from Shurtleff because he will share it with Rawlings.

According to charging documents in 2014, both Shurtleff and his heir apparent as attorney general, John Swallow, allegedly had dealings and received donations from indicted St. George businessman Jeremy Johnson. Court documents referenced in both cases detail how Johnson sought Swallow’s help to ward off civil and criminal investigations into his company’s IWorks’ business interests. Johnson went on to implicate Reid in two bribery schemes.

Jeremy Johnson claims that Reid was involved in a pay-to-play bribery scheme focused on gambling, the details of which were published in The Salt Lake Tribune in October 2014.

A transcript of a conversation that Johnson recorded between himself and Shurtleff included allegations about a group of online poker business owners who had funneled $2 million to Reid in 2010 to get Reid to introduce legislation legalizing online poker. According to a June 6, 2013, AP story, Reid as well as Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., “pursued federal law to legalize Internet poker but ultimately gave up before even introducing the legislation.”

It’s good to see someone finally go after Reid for his questionable behavior as a US senator. His office made him rich.